The body of 80-year-old Mr William Leck Swe Chua, who suffered from Dementia, was found in a drain in Hougang earlier this year on 3 January.
Mr Leck’s body was found by a lorry driver, and at the time of the discovery, Leck had been reported missing for about 3 days.
Investigating officer Freddy Tan spoke during the first day of the coroner’s inquiry into Leck’s death and ruled out foul play.
He added that his death could have been an accident.
Body spotted by a lorry driver
IO Tan said that the police received a call from the lorry driver who spotted Leck’s body in a drain at about 7 pm, and when the police and the SCDF arrived at the scene at 42 Defu Lane 7, the body was in an awkward position.
Tan added that Leck was dressed in his underwear and a vest and that his t-shirt was rolled up to his neck area.
The authorities extracted Tan’s body that night at about 10 pm, and he was identified via a fingerprint analysis, with a meteorological report from NEA indicating that it was raining for the three days before Leck’s body was found.
Tan also added that they found no signs of trauma on Leck’s body.
The deceased’s Bermuda shorts, wallet and phone were found after a search of the carpark; his phone was faulty but they could still extract data from the SIM card.
None of the deceased’s relatives was present in court, with Leck’s son working in China, and IO Tan added that Leck’s granddaughter said that she last saw him in December last year.
Last seen walking in and out of the location 7 times
Leck’s partner told the police that when she woke up on the morning of 1 Jan, she noticed that Leck was not at home and assumed that he had left to go to the coffee shop.
The elderly couple lived at Block 313 Hougang Avenue 5, and when she returned from work and he was still not home, she called him at 3 pm and he told her that he was on his way home.
CCTV footage at the heavy vehicle carpark revealed that at about 3.20pm, Leck was walking in and out of the location 7 times, and he was last seen at about 4.30 pm heading towards the drain where he was later found.
Leck’s partner then tried calling him at about 7.30 pm but there was no answer.
According to Mr Leck’s medical reports, he was diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and later, dementia – where sufferers lose their cognitive functions such as reasoning, memory and thinking.
IO tan was then asked by State Coroner Adam Nakhoda to seek more details from Leck’s partner about the phone calls she made to him on that day.
The case has been adjourned to 12 September.